


Taste Test

by Masdevallia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Bodyswap, Dramedy, F/M, Gender-Neutral My Unit | Byleth, Potions, Pre-Time Skip, Teenage Rebellion, bittersweet but also hopeful ending to be exact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masdevallia/pseuds/Masdevallia
Summary: Hubert seeks out Bernadetta for help brewing a potion, but it goes horrifically wrong. A bodyswap ensues.Hubernie Week Day 5: Taste
Relationships: Bernadetta von Varley & Hubert von Vestra, Bernadetta von Varley/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 14
Kudos: 52
Collections: Hubernie Week





	Taste Test

**Author's Note:**

> It started out as an April Fool's drawing by @ymkse_art on twitter (Please follow them! They drew the cutest art of a scene from ch 9 of Adagio, which is my long Hubernie fic, so this is for you, lmao). And then I got massive brainworms. This was supposed to be a simple 5k words of comedy and then it doubled and got kinda serious. And then Ferdinand von Aegir decided to worm his way into some scenes. It happens.

“And...there!” Bernadetta von Varley said when she took the queen loach out of the frying pan, alongside the various vegetables that were to make up its ingredients. Queen loaches were huge fish, and the recipe called for a meal big enough to feed over ten people. 

Oftentimes the Professor fished with Captain Jeralt but now that he was gone, they often spent far too much time out on the pier, usually with Alois or Seteth, fishing quietly. Yet Bernadetta was always requested for cooking assistance. 

Even though she was out of her room a lot this month, she still wanted to do what she could to help the Professor during this turbulent time. 

_How come all the good dads have to die? And then you’ve got those like mine who just won’t…_

The sound of a throat clearing interrupted her thoughts from their further escalation. And even though the frying pan was hot, Bernadetta felt the temperature of the air dropping as the shadow cast over her. 

“It’s you,” she said.

“Yes, it’s me, in the flesh,” Hubert von Vestra said. Bernadetta knew he liked to tease her, but he still kept his facial expressions at a minimum.

_You need to conquer your fear of him, Bernie!_

“W-what do you need?” she asked. “You wouldn’t simply come here unless you had a reason to.”

“You wound me, Bernadetta,” he said. “I do indeed maintain an interest in the welfare of the rest of our fellow Black Eagles.” 

Bernadetta immediately felt terrible for saying what she just said. Why was she always so tongue-tied around him? What was it about Hubert von Vestra that made her mind go blank, her heartbeat quicken, and her hands all sweaty?

“But you’d be correct.”

“Sorry! I’m so sorry! Please don’t kill me!”

Hubert sighed. “How many times must we dance this dance?” Bernadetta thought of the ball a couple of weeks ago, before everything took a turn for the worst. One of the few dance partners she had was none other than Hubert himself. Hubert, who had barely danced the entire night, yet extended an invitation towards her. The first minute of their dance was harrowing, but as time marched on, she grew accustomed to their fingers intertwined together, stepping in tune to the song to the best of their ability. He was actually a good dance partner, but that wasn’t a conversation Bernadetta was ready to have with herself about. “But enough of that. I require your assistance, Bernadetta.” 

“W-why me?”

“Why, you’re simply the best cook the Black Eagles have. There is no better person I could ask for this favor.” It was true. Bernadetta was the only good cook out of her house. Caspar was one of the worst cooks in the school, and there wasn’t anything to be desired from Edelgard, Dorothea, and Linhardt. Ferdinand and Petra admitted they preferred to provide food rather than make it. And as for Hubert, he had a rather eclectic way of cooking, oftentimes purposely undercooking. It wasn’t that he was trying to hurt the others but _because_ he had a preference for raw and undercooked foods.

“Um, okay. What’s the recipe?”

“It would be but your average stew. However, I require this to be the ingredient.” A purple glass vial came out of a pocket in Hubert’s uniform jacket. 

Bernadetta shook her head. “Uhhh no. Nope. No way. Bernie is _not_ going to be a part of your schemes. You’re going to get me expelled. Which will get me murdered because—”

“It’s not poison,” he said in an attempt to reassure her. _Or perhaps he’s trying to fool me._

Bernadetta narrowed her eyes. 

Hubert sighed. “I solemnly swear on Lady Edelgard’s life that this is not poison nor is it intended to harm anyone.” He sighed again. “In these past nine months, have I ever attempted to poison anyone?”

“You could have been discreet about it,” she said.

“It would mean dire consequences if I were to slip up. And have there been any cases of poisoning this year?”

Bernadetta knew of only one but that was Claude accidentally poisoning himself from a bad mushroom brew. He said it was something to do with noxious fumes and not protecting himself properly. She supposed Hubert had a point.

“Oh all right. But um, can you get me the ingredients?”

“Of course. I would be happy to help.”

“Oh! And I’ll need to know exactly how I’m going to cook your...secret ingredient.”

“I will provide you with adequate instruction.”

Bernadetta brewed the stew as normal, adding the prerequisite ingredients and making sure the cauldron was heating properly, while Hubert sliced and diced the ingredients that needed to be added to the pot. Bernadetta was a little bit alarmed at how quick and precise he was with the kitchen knife. 

“Now, be sure to pour two drops in. For now, anyway. It’s quite a heady liquid,” he said, handing her the vial.

“Heady?”

“Quite potent.”

“I-I know what it means!”

“Ah. I see I’m scaring you again. If I must quell your fears, you must know that this vial is a relaxant,” he said. “Lady Edelgard is preparing for a dinner with the Professor but required that a special ingredient should be used.”

“Does the Professor know?”

“They will. It’s a rare and sought after liquid and it helps with...It helps with the Professor’s, err, current mental state.”

“Oh. So you two are trying to calm them down!”

Hubert looked away from her. “For lack of a better word. Edelgard has begged for them to steel themselves before finding the person who killed the Captain. Having a clear and proper mind will steer them in the right direction.”

“So that Monica can be found, right?”

Hubert nodded in response. “Correct. It’s vital that we find her, and find her soon.” Bernadetta knew emotions and if she knew any better, it was Hubert’s tone. There was a desperation hidden in there. He seemed to care a lot more about the Professor than she initially realized.

She had done what Hubert specified and added the two drops. She stirred the cauldron, allowing the ingredients to absorb the liquid. “Is this supposed to have a strong taste?”

“If not brewed properly, yes. Or that’s what the supplier said over at the market. Hence why I required your assistance for this task.” 

Bernadetta let the stew simmer down after it appeared to be done. “Time for a taste test!” she said. 

“Would that be a good idea?” he asked. 

“It’s important to know if the drops sat in well with the food, right? A little teeny bit won’t do much, right? Especially since they’re having the entire meal.”

“Err...of course.” She lifted the wooden stirrer and brought it to her lips. It tasted like a regular stew, which meant it worked. 

“Here! Try it!” She was too short to bring it up to Hubert’s mouth, so instead she handed the stirrer for him to use for the taste test. 

“It’s acceptable,” he said. “Lady Edelgard and—” Hubert lurched. 

“Hubert are you—” Bernadetta felt dizzy all of a sudden, and an awful pounding in her head. “What’s...going on…” She doubled over to the floor in pain. Hubert followed, also wincing in pain. 

“Don’t...know…” Hubert said, before the world went completely black.

* * *

When Hubert woke up, it was not a feeling unlike the time he had consumed his first glass of wine on his eighteenth birthday. 

“You’ll develop a taste for it,” his father had said. 

He had actually, in the end, developed a taste for certain liquors, but this reminded him of that night.

“Perhaps the seller got the dosage wrong,” he said. But it was not him who spoke, but rather Bernadetta. _How odd_ , he thought, _Those are the exact words I was thinking_. He looked down to his hands so he could get up. His tiny, tiny hands. 

Hubert assessed his uniform. Short skirt. Leggings. Knee-length boots. This was _not_ his uniform.

It appeared the seller got a lot more than the dosage wrong.

And then the screaming began. In his voice. 

Hubert got up to shush Bernadetta, who was in his body and still on the floor. He placed a hand over her mouth. And precisely at that moment, Caspar von Bergliez and Raphael Kirsten walked into the dining hall and were at their vantage point.

Hubert didn’t know whether to curse his luck or whether to thank it for bringing in the most academically dense students rather than the sharper ones, such as Claude or Felix or Sylvain. 

However, they were also the loudest in the school.

“Hey is that Hubert screaming like a little girl?” Caspar asked. Hubert let go of his hand on his—well, her mouth before Caspar got to see the rather compromising scene.

“It’s just a spider!” Hubert said, trying to emulate Bernadetta, and failing. “A poisonous spider!” he added.

“Sheesh. And in the kitchen? Isn’t that unsanitary?” Caspar said, scratching his head.

“Who cares when they make the best food for my muscles!” Raphael added uselessly.

“It was really creepy!” Bernadetta added. 

Hubert would have never, ever said the word “creepy” in that kind of voice.

“Hubert stumbled in surprise,” he said, his own name feeling weird on his tongue. He helped her up. Bernadetta’s body had a surprising amount of strength, but it was extremely disorientating seeing everyone around him was so tall. Including Caspar.

“Hey whatcha got there?” Caspar asked, pointing towards the stew.

“Don’t you dare touch that,” Hubert said, grabbing Caspar by the wrist.

“Ow ow ow ow.”

“You don’t want that,” Bernadetta said. “It’s full of veggies.” _I would never say that word._

Caspar was undeterred. “That sounds delic—”

Hubert was ready to subdue Caspar with his magic, until he remembered he did not have the ability to seamlessly conjure up the tenebrous forms of darkness that poured out of his hands. 

But Raphael beat him to the punch. 

“Veggies won’t help you get bigger. You gotta eat some meat and then you gotta train.” Hubert breathed in a sigh of relief as Raphel led him to where the meat dishes were served. 

“Phew, that was close,” Bernadetta said. She looked down at him. “Oh goddess you’re so small. Wait. _I’m_ so small! Oh what are we going to do, Hubert!”

“We, and by we, I mean you, need to calm down. Let’s do the same thing we did before our bodies switched places.”

“G-good idea, Hubert!” They then quickly repeated their actions. But it tasted like a regular stew. “It’s not working! Oh no! _Oh no_!”

“Then if that’s the case, then we need to have a few words with the seller. And make sure we carry that cauldron with us. We don’t want any more cases of this occurring.”

“You said that nothing would happen? You lied to me! I should have known not to trust you! That you were just as evil as I thought you were!” Bernadetta was moments away from having a meltdown. 

Hubert was backed into a corner, but he needed her to act normally right now. He didn’t want to dig into her pocket and take out the cloth that subdued his enemies. The same cloth the Professor found months ago when Hubert misplaced it during a careless rendezvous of his note taking session on the Professor. 

“Bernadetta, if you calm down, we can assess the situation rationally and find a solution to it. I...don’t desire to be in your body any more than I would expect you wanting to be in mine. Now, come along with me. I have a few words I wish to exchange with the vendor of this vial.”

The walk to the marketplace wasn’t very long, but to Hubert, it sure felt that way thanks to his tiny legs. The world seemed much bigger with Bernadetta’s height. It was almost easy to understand why the girl was so afraid of everything. Hubert hadn’t been this height since he was eight years old. Maybe even younger than that. Hubert was always rather tall growing up. 

He had quickly located the vendor. He was easy to spot, despite being hidden behind the stairs to the left, wearing his plague mask. 

“You,” Hubert said. Bernadetta’s voice wasn’t as effective in using intimidation tactics, but he would need to try his best.

“Greetings!” His chipper voice betrayed his mask and black robes. “How may I help you, little girl?”

“Little? I’m not—” Bernadetta began. 

“You incompetent fraud.” Hubert was now small enough to find leeway into hurting this man’s shin. The man doubled over in pain. Hubert took the opportunity to grab this man by the collar.

“Wh-what did I do?”

“Hubert!”

Hubert took out the vial from his pocket. “You sold me this vial, remember. And if you don’t remember me, then you must surely remember my companion.”

The vendor gazed at Bernadetta. Hubert sneered at the expression Bernadetta had on his face, which was of pure terror. 

“Y-yes. You wanted the relaxant.” He said to Bernadetta and sighed. “Alright. Allow me to inspect the vial.”

The man had cleared his throat. Hubert did not let go of the man’s collar. 

“Hubert!” Bernadetta said, reminding him to let go. “Please!”

Moments later, the man returned with a similar purple vial. The shape was only slightly different than the last one. “It appears the vials have been accidentally switched. It seems it mixed in with the...body swap one,” he said in realization. “Oh dear. And that was my most expensive one.”

Hubert suspected that was the case. “And how do we resolve the issue?”

“I’m afraid I do not know.”

“Excuse me?”

“No! Please I wanna go back to being Bernie!”

“Did you try eating the soup again?”

“Then why sell this potion if you do not know the antidote?”

“Because...because…” Hubert wished he could conjure up magic in this body, but Bernadetta was not trained for it. A shame, really.

“C-can my friend have his money back at the least?” Bernadetta said. She squeaked and covered her face with her hands.

“S-sure,” the vendor said, clearly wanting them to go away. “I ought to mention that like all potions, the effects of this are likely not permanent. I do not know exactly how long it’ll last. Maybe an hour or... eleven months.”

Hubert glowered. 

“Eleven months!?” Bernadetta said, yelling. 

“It would depend on how much you took, probably.”

“It was a tiny sip! I-It was a taste test!” she said. “I…”

“Then perhaps a few days, at most, then.” The vendor gave him his small sack of gold. Hubert promised himself he wouldn’t buy any more merchandise from these vendors. Or he would have a discussion with the magenta haired guildmaster. However, there wasn’t much he could do that would persuade her if it didn’t involve money.

“Now what do we do?” Bernadetta asked. 

“Well, first we ought to throw out the contents of this stew. And then we should retire to our usual positions so as to not arouse any suspicion.”

“What about Edelgard?” she asked. 

_Oh Lady Edelgard…_ Hubert thought for a solid ten seconds. “Edelgard will know as soon as you walk in the door.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Your posture gives you away, as well as that look of unease on your face. Let’s hope her reaction to this debacle is fine. But aside from her, we should keep this charade for as long as well can, until the spell wears out, at the very least.” 

“Um...okay. Um, should you um, accompany me?”

“It’s already odd we’ve been cavorting together. That gatekeeper has been watching us for the past twenty minutes. Anything he sees that seems oddest in the slightest, he’ll report to the Professor.” And the Professor was the last person he wanted to arouse suspicion in. He still wasn’t quite sure how deep their loyalty to Rhea was.

Hubert cursed his luck. He couldn’t afford this to happen right now. In less than two weeks, he would need to report to the capital and carry out his duty. Edelgard would need to convince the Professor to crown her. But that was only the first phase of their plan.

And how he was going to enact all of that if he was now stuck in the body of one of his classmates?

* * *

Edelgard was not in her room when Bernadetta snuck a peek inside. She wasn’t in Hubert’s room, either. She didn’t know her routine—or anyone’s—for that matter.

It felt weird being here on the second floor of the dorms. She had heard stories. About all of the women Sylvain had brought over and how he coincidentally lived at the furthest end of the hallway, thankfully far away from Hubert.

He bordered between Edelgard and Caspar’s rooms and was the fifth room after the entrance. Just as her room was the fifth room away from the greenhouse.

All she would have to do is count from numbers one to five, like she always did, and she would be safe behind closed doors once more. 

When she entered Hubert’s room, the top of her head collided with the entryway. “Ow ow ow ow! That hurts!” Was this what being tall was like?

Hubert’s room was not what Bernadetta expected. He was the sort of person to have a dark, spooky, basement like room with a lab and potions marked everywhere. She pictured him indulging in his sinister tendencies behind closed doors when no one was looking. 

But instead, she was met with a very impersonal, very typical dorm of a student at Garreg Mach. There was a candelabra on his nightstand, a neatly organized bed, and lots of books on his bookshelves, including a full volume encyclopedia set of histories related to the Empire. If she had to guess whose room this was, she wouldn’t have guessed Hubert.

The second floor dorms were much more spacious than the ones where she resided in, and Hubert’s room felt cold and uncomfortable, devoid of all personality. It was somehow more unsettling than what she imagined. 

Either way, Bernadetta didn’t know what to do. When she saw Hubert’s reflection in the mirror, she saw the giant bags under his eyes. Normally, she couldn’t even make eye contact with him, but since she was all alone and it was her mind at work, she could swallow her fear. _Were they always this bad?_

In fact, Hubert seemed like he wasn’t taking care of himself. She could at least help in this regard.

_Perhaps a small nap will do._

Bernadetta placed her head on Hubert’s pillow. This bed, despite being twice her bed’s size, felt the same as the one in her dorm. And so, she closed her eyes, praying to the Goddess that when she opened them, she would be back in her body. 

Or that Hubert wouldn’t discover anything too weird about her room. 

She woke up to a light tapping on the door. 

Much to her dismay, she was still stuck in Hubert’s body and in his overtly spacious, clinical room.

Edelgard was on the other end of the room. 

_Okay, try to act like Hubert does._

She placed her hand over her heart and bowed to her. “Lady Edelgard.” _Oh that came out good!_

“Good evening, Hubert. I was looking all over for you. To think you were in your room all this time.” Edelgard entered the room. Of course she did. She was the Imperial Princess. She could do whatever she wanted. Bernadetta closed the door behind her.

“I was merely taking a nap,” she said.

“How odd of you to sleep in. Especially during these hours.” She put her hands on her hips, scrutinizing her surroundings. 

Bernadetta got really nervous. Hubert wasn’t lying when he said Edelgard would immediately be suspicious. “Um...Edelgard?”

That made Edelgard’s expression sour. _What gave me away?_ “Who are you?” Edelgard glowered, her true face being the scariest thing she had ever seen. It was way, _way_ scarier than Hubert’s. She was lucky she didn’t carry her axe on her person.

“Please don’t kill me!” She knew it was awful timing. Less than a month after Monica was revealed to be someone else, the real Monica likely being dead. “It’s me! It’s Bernie!”

“Bernadetta?”

She nodded. “Um...yep. It’s Bernie. If you want I can prove it! I can take you to my room right now and Hubert can confirm. I...I...” She began to panic while running a blank as to how exactly she could prove she was indeed Bernadetta von Varley.

“How? How did this happen?”

“Um…It’s um...” 

Edelgard took a seat. Bernadetta told her everything. 

“I see,” Edelgard said after. “I will most certainly report this back to the guild for their recklessness.” Bernadetta felt terrible already from her halting Hubert from killing the man. “This mistake must be accounted for.”

“Hubert and I agreed that we would um, pretend to be the other for now.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Edelgard spoke again. "I would avoid coming into contact with students who might realize the two of you aren’t yourselves, especially the other house leaders. Hopefully this wears off. I’m assuming Hubert will start looking for any potential antidotes.”

“I hope he can find something!”

“And I bet Hubert knows that as well. It’s important to stay calm, alright, Bernadetta?”

“O-okay.” Bernadetta wanted to trust Edelgard. She was her house leader, after all. Hubert’s stomach growled. “Um...can I go with you to the dining hall? I’m...kinda hungry.”

Edelgard laughed. “Of course. Let’s go.”

* * *

  
  


Bernadetta’s room was, frankly, a mess.

Her floor was barely navigable as there were textiles everywhere, her bed wasn’t made, there was dust all over, clothes were piled on top of her chair and her desk. At the very least she remembered not to carelessly drop her needles on the floor again.

She had just as many books as he did, and plenty of them were notebooks. He didn’t organize the books, as they were seemingly sorted out and he especially didn’t want to see her own written works. Hubert had heard of her...difficult life at home so he figured her writing was a likely way of coping. 

Hubert liked having intel on people but there were lines he couldn’t cross, or at least tried not to (but he usually failed at that, allowing his curiosity and need to know of others’ innermost secrets). Not to mention, Bernadetta wasn’t malicious or a threat to him...so far. 

He knew there was a possibility where that could change after the things he’d have to do come next month and enact all of his and Edelgard’s carefully laid plants. He didn’t lie to her about making the relaxant. It wasn’t meant for the professor, but rather for—

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Hubert wondered if it was Edelgard. Surely, she must have known by now. 

But instead it was Dorothea. “Hey Bern,” she said. “Mind if I come in?”

It didn’t matter what the response would be. Dorothea had already sauntered in. “Yes, of course, I guess.”

“You seem pretty dour today.”

Hubert tried to keep a neutral face. 

“Oh.”

“You look so cute with that pout! Are you...you know?” 

Hubert was too confused to feel properly patronized. Was this what being Bernadetta was like? In regards to people seeing her as ‘cute’ no matter what. _To be fair, you’ve assessed her as such._ “Know what?”

“Is it that time of the month for you?”

He shook his head. He had completely forgotten about that happening and thanked his lucky star for that. 

“Marianne finished the book.”

Hubert had no idea what in the world she was referring to. Until she discreetly pulled a book where a shirtless man with ripped muscles holding a fainted woman in his arms. She handed it to him, where he opened the book to a random page near the back, where rather explicit verbiage and actions were being described in lurid detail. _My, my is this what Bernadetta indulges on?_

“I see,” he said. “Are you here for another one?” It was a bluff. Hubert didn’t _know_ that Bernadetta kept saucy books like this. 

“Yes, but this next one’s for Hilda. She’s been having an interest in rogue men. You know, like pirates or bandits?”

“Look away,” he said, trying to rein in his surprise in meek Bernadetta’s actions. It was unbelievably hard to process this moment as Dorothea rummaged through Bernadetta’s things. “Just don’t make too big of a mess. I just cleaned up a little.”

Dorothea paused at one book that didn’t seem to have a cover. It was written in a plain black leather book. She opened the page. “ _Moon With Gold_ , by B von V.” Dorothea cleared her throat. “ _‘Join us, Berenice,’ Humphrey begged as he floated to her balcony. His green eyes were streaked gold—”_

Hubert didn’t want to hear any of her work read out loud so he summoned his best impression. “Hey! Put that down!”

“I didn’t know you were writing one of these of your own!”

“It’s not for you!”

“Oh alright.” She set the book down. “Promise me you’ll show it to me when you’re done, okay? I know you can do it!” She scrolled through Bernadetta’s forbidden books until she settled on one. “ _Boyfriends of Sea and Sky_. The cover was of a redheaded girl being embraced by a pirate on a boat while a winged man reached out to her. It looked both amusing and nauseating to Hubert.

But this was most certainly an intriguing development. He wanted to know more about Bernadetta’s secret trade, although he already had an inkling of how it all may have started. He would have to ask her when he could.

* * *

Bernadetta woke up sobbing the next day. She was still in Hubert’s body. Her crying worsened when she saw she was scheduled for a one to one session with the Professor today. “Oh no. Why me?”

She forced herself to go to the dining hall and eat a nice hearty breakfast. Hubert’s body didn’t like most of the foods she tried to ingest, but she at least wanted him to be healthy for this class.

“And a good morning to you, Hubert!” Ferdinand said cheerily as he passed by her in the dining hall. Ferdinand was friendly with everyone all throughout the school and despite his differences with Hubert, she knew he would attempt to be cordial, especially when it was during the morning.

“Morning,” she said.

Ferdinand stopped. “What is this? None of your usual grousing today?”

 _Uh-oh._ “I would rather enjoy my breakfast today. I have important matters to attend to today,” she said, attempting to channel Hubert. She could see it on Ferdinand’s face that she was failing.

“I see…” Ferdinand crossed his arms. “Is everything alright, Hubert? Is somet—” Ferdinand slid in the table, sitting next to Bernadetta. He was too close for comfort. Of course, that was always Ferdinand, who didn’t seem to understand boundaries at times, but he had known how to not cross said boundaries with _Bernadetta_ , not Hubert. Bernadetta didn’t know how to separate herself from him.

Bernadetta couldn’t be mean to Ferdinand. She knew it was in Hubert’s character to do so, but ever since she had that cathartic talk through the door a couple of weeks ago, she knew he was one of the most sincere and genuine people she had ever known. 

“I ought to go. It’s best not to keep the Professor waiting.” She wasn’t done with her food yet, but Ferdinand was not one of the people she wanted to interact with while in this body. He was the last person, actually.

As she left, she could feel Ferdinand’s eyes boring through the back of her head. 

“Sorry! My magic’s not that good today. I’m having a little bit of an off day today,” she told the Professor. She was reeling in embarrassment that she couldn’t even control a Miasma spell, which was the simplest spell out of Hubert’s repertoire. The Professor clearly had sadness written all over their face, but cast it aside for teaching. Bernadetta could only admire them even more now. If there was anyone she implicitly trusted, it was them.

“‘Off day’? What odd phrasing,” they said. 

“Can we...reschedule?” she asked. 

“That’s a problem.”

Bernadetta was shocked. “It is?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have your schedule sheet turned in yet for the Pegasus Moon so I can’t really reschedule. Would you like to try something else instead of Reason? You said you had an interest in bows, didn’t you?”

She did see Hubert practicing with a bow and arrow from time to time, but she was too scared to give him critiques on how to hold them properly. “Why don’t we try that?”

The class quickly improved from then on out. The Professor complimented her every move. From her posture, to her accuracy. Hubert’s vision wasn’t nearly as good as hers, but thanks to nine straight months of practicing and getting into life threatening situations with this as her main weapon, she felt confident enough to excel in this. 

“Good job, Hubert.”

Bernadetta froze, almost forgetting that it was _her_ the Professor was referring to. “It’s all in hand,” she said, mimicking the phrase Hubert often said during the group sessions.

“Our time’s up,” the Professor said. 

In walked Petra in her place as she readied her sword. Bernadetta made a beeline towards Hubert’s room, determined to stay inside all day. She knew she would have to eventually follow Edelgard around but morning hadn’t even ended yet and she was so exhausted!

But to her surprise, Hubert was already there, sitting on his bed and reading a book. Bernadetta had forgotten about the doorframe being too short for her and hit herself again. “Ouch! Why me?”

“It appears you’ve yet to grow used to this height,” he said. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I ought to be asking you the same question because I do not see Lady Edelgard with you. Now please close the door,” he said. 

“Why are you here?” she asked. 

“I was thinking about the predicament we are currently in and going through my encyclopedia of spells and regents.” Bernadetta craned her neck over to where Hubert’s books were. “I could find something that might end our current problem.” Bernadetta didn’t want him to wait it out. 

She wanted to go back to her body, flaws and all. She usually hated herself, but now that she was in a foreign body, she realized it wasn’t so bad being her. She was small and fast and nimble and had perfect eyesight. She missed the way her bed felt cozy at night, how she could just curl up in her bed comfortably and still fit a dozen of her plushies there with her as well as the quilts she had made. She even missed—

“It’s better than being in your room. Your books, although a topic of conversation throughout the female body at our school, will not ultimately produce the ability to resolve this issue faster.”

Bernadetta froze. “Oh no. You know about underground smut trade.” Bernadetta squeaked. “Now you’re going to tell Edelgard and she’s going to tell Seteth and I’ll get expelled two months before I graduate and...and…” She wanted to faint.

She didn’t like the grin Hubert was sporting on her face. How did he make her face look so creepy?! “Perhaps I won’t tell if you inform me as to why you have a lascivious book trade.”

“Well, um...You see,” Bernadetta pressed her index fingers together. “I’d sneak around to town at night sometimes, um, because I was kind of bored of my reading selection and um...one day the bookseller suggested this book called _Passion in the Solstice_ , which ended up being...well...I liked it, okay?!”

Hubert made no cutting remarks, only offering her to keep going. 

“And I um, I felt awesome and rebellious for reading them so I got some more of them, you know? And a few months ago, Dorothea kind of visited and asked to borrow one of my books. And then she lent it to Petra, who wanted to read more diverse books and Dorothea also lent it to Ingrid, who I think never read it but Mercedes saw it and anything Mercedes does, Annette will know about and they’re close friends with Hilda and Marianne so...um…”

“Haven’t you thought about what’ll happen if say...Seteth finds out?”

“I don’t want him to! They’re just books, right? What’s wrong with books, even though these get a little wordy and um, into detail, I still think we should have the right to read what we want, right? Right?”

Hubert laughed, his laugh creeping out Bernadetta even more now that she had known his preferred method of laughter carried over to her body. “Is that so?”

“Um...yes. Please don’t tell Edelgard or anyone! I don’t want to die!”

With all of the nonchalance in the world, Hubert pulled out a book. “If you can help me, then I’ll consider not telling Edelgard.”

“R-right away!”

As she grabbed the book, sat next to him and searched for antidotes, she prayed that he wouldn’t find the ultra-embarrassing romance book she had started writing weeks ago. If he even knew of its existence, she would die from mortification. 

* * *

If there was anyone he could see subverting the church and going completely against them, Hubert wouldn’t have guessed it would have been Bernadetta von Varley. Even though he had teased her, he found her actions to be impressive and worthy of his admiration. It was no easy feat, getting the majority of the female student body to band with you, no matter how vapid the subject matter was.

Theoretically, if Edelgard had known, she too, would come to respect her small, timid classmate for such behavior. But for the time being, Bernadetta remained paranoid around them. Hubert knew there was a chance that next month, she would remain fearful of him for the rest of their lives, no matter how long they lasted. 

After a few hours of reading, Hubert turned to Bernadetta, who had dozed off. 

She wasn’t an expert by any means when it came towards the subject of potions and spells. She had other strengths. Hubert couldn’t blame her for passing out like that. 

There was a slight tap on his door. Hubert knew by the knocks that it was Edelgard. Walking to his door had taken longer with his short legs, but he opened the door only slightly. 

Throughout his entire life, from the moment he met Edelgard, he had been taller than she was. Now he had to look up at her. There was no stranger feeling than that. 

“Bernadetta? Or is this Hubert?”

“It’s me, Lady Edelgard.”

“Ah. So, it’s Hubert.”

“Indeed. Surely not for longer. Bernadetta is asleep right now. Let’s talk somewhere else. Your room, perhaps.”

Their voices were low as they spoke. “Hubert, how could this happen?” she asked. 

“It was my fault, Lady Edelgard. I completely take the blame for this.”

“How am I going to get crowned if you’re not ready to go to Enbarr? How are we going to enact phases two, three, and four of our plan?”

Hubert knew his selfishness was partly to blame for this mishap. “The vendor said that due to the small quantity we’ve consumed, this is likely to be a temporary problem. However, I’m not in a position to work behind the shadows at this moment.”

“That brings me to another issue. Ferdinand came to me during our training and said ‘you’ were not yourself this morning. And the Professor said ‘you’ weren’t able to control your magic properly. I don’t know how long we can keep this under wraps before it unravels.”

“It’s only been a day.”

“Word travels fast here at Garreg Mach Monastery and although I’ve filed a complaint to the guildmaster at the insistence of discretion, we still can’t presume this mishap will continue as a secret.”

And yet he had no idea of Bernadetta’s unseemly book trade until last night. And no one knew of their shared secret regarding Edelgard’s alter ego. Maybe it was easier to contain things. He wondered what other secrets had been going around the school that he wasn’t privy to.

“I will do everything I can to make matters go back to normal.” Not that normalcy would last very long.

“See to it. I will help in any way I can in the meantime. But I need you to come with me, Hubert.”

“Me?”

“Oh. Do you not have Bernadetta’s schedule? We are scheduled for a lecture today.”

Hubert recoiled. “Is it possible to take a rain check?”

“While it is a very Bernadetta thing to do,” Edelgard began, “she has made friends with some of the other Black Eagles, including Ferdinand. If you were not to arrive, he would surely come in with a basket of foods and other goods.” In other words, the problem could thicken. Edelgard didn’t need to elaborate.

_Ferdinand. Why is it always him?_

Hubert sat in the very front of the room, next to Edelgard in the classroom. It appeared today’s attendees were half the original Black Eagles, Flayn, and Sylvain. Flayn appeared ill at ease, sitting about as far apart from Sylvain as possible. Hubert didn’t care about those two. He imagined Flayn especially would very likely not join their cause next month. There was no point to even making friends with Flayn. She treated him in a similar fashion, never acknowledging his existence. Seteth was known for being overprotective of her in a way Hubert suspected was more to than “brotherly-like” but in a sense, he at least understood that.

But when she said “hi” to him, Hubert felt compelled to say it back to her. Things were very different living in Bernadetta’s world. 

“Good afternoon, Bernadetta. It is lovely seeing you again,” Ferdinand said. “Would you mind if I were to take a seat here?” 

Hubert didn’t want that. _Must you?_

Edelgard gave Hubert a look he had recognized, a look telling him he was doing something wrong. When he caught himself, he realized he was scowling. He corrected this, but it was too late, as Ferdinand was now frowning. 

“I am sorry if I have done something to offend you, Bernadetta.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong.” _For once._

“Are you certain? Completely certain?”

“Yes. I am tired of your constant questions. Now take a seat, will you?”

He heard Edelgard inhale at the out of character remark he had said while Ferdinand got ready for class. He could feel Ferdinand’s amber eyes watching him the entire time as the Professor lectured. Hubert had attended this exact lecture the week before with the other half of the Black Eagles.

“You’re glaring again,” Edelgard whispered.

It wasn’t until after the lecture ended when Ferdinand spoke again, much to Hubert’s displeasure. “After assessing the situation, please accept my utmost apologies, Bernadetta. It appears I have been reverting back to my ways. I do not want to bother you, but you are my friend, after all.”

“Thanks,” he said. 

“I have also come to the conclusion that you, Bernadetta are undergoing mood swings. Are you...er…having your monthly...Because if you are, then leave it to me to procure you everything you shall need! There is no trouble that is too big or too small for a noble!”

Hubert closed his eyes, ready to smack him in the head. “No! Lea—”

“What she is trying to say, Ferdinand,” Edelgard said, “is that she appreciates the sentiment. And as House Leader, and someone who experiences these types of...monthly matters, please leave anything of this sort to me.” She paused. “Also, I have a question to pose to the Professor about an axe technique. Surely, you don’t know about that?”

Hubert saw this was his opening to leave and he took it, scurrying away. There was no way Ferdinand would back away from a challenge, even the smaller ones he could perceive, especially from Edelgard.

Hubert spent the rest of the afternoon reading and gathering as much information as possible. Bernadetta, who had shown up early into the evening, flitted between sleeping and attempting to help him. 

“Bernie’s useless in this!” She yawned right after saying this.

“I wouldn’t blame you,” he said. “All of this was written by mages who lack the ability to write. It’s near incomprehensible to anyone who doesn’t know of formulas and the like. You did your part.”

“I tried to see if there was anything that could help, but nothing seems useful. What if I’m stuck in this body forever? And then you have to deal with my father and...and! Oh no!”

Hubert knew Bernadetta’s home life wasn’t pleasant, but to what extent was unclear. It likely played a role in regards to her behavior. A part of him wanted to know more, after all, she was a fellow Black Eagle.

“It won’t,” he said. “It’s late enough that I can reasonably walk to your room with these books I haven’t surveyed as of yet. Do you require anything, Bernadetta?”

She shook her head.

“Very well, then. Goodnight.”

He saw Annette walking into her room, carrying books of her own and struggling. “Oh hey Bernie! It looks like you came from the library too! Are you going to do some fun reading tonight?”

“Yes, this is for a project,” he said, kicking the door open and placing the stack of books in a neat pile. During his entire time at school, he had barely exchanged words with Annette Dominic, but in Bernadetta’s body, it seemed apparent she was better at socializing than expected. In fact, it was Hubert himself who was worse off. Much worse off.

“ _Ah_!” The sound of multiple books falling on the wooden panes was heard. Hubert poked his head out and saw Annette scrambling to pick them up. “Of course this happens to me!”

“I’ll help you.”

“Are you sure?”

He bent down and grabbed as many books as possible, wanting to see their titles. Annette was a mage, too, and although she didn’t brew potions, Hubert wanted to see if there was something of use. 

From what he knew of Annette, she liked to read tomes and spellbooks that were beyond the learning capability of what this school taught. She could have been useful. And in that pile of books, Hubert saw a book that could have served the purposes he needed. And right next to it was a book illustrating a maiden being held by swordpoint. It was no doubt one of Bernadetta’s illicit books.

“You dropped this.”

“Ahh! Good thing no one saw that! I’m nowhere near done with it yet so I’ll just have to hold onto it a little longer.” Hubert took the time to discreetly take Annette’s book. 

It appeared to be an abridged book. Hubert rarely had the need for them, but right now, he was willing to take what was given. Besides, Annette had so many books she was bound to not notice. 

“That’s all of them. Goodnight!” 

“Night, Bernie!” She closed the door to her room. 

Hubert read as much as he could into the night until the words started to not make sense anymore. He set the books down, getting ready for bed. He saw the stack of well-hidden romance books. Bernadetta was always good at hiding during battles, it only made sense she would hide these in plain sight where various books on botany and crafting, as well as cookbooks and etiquette would be. 

He pulled out the leather one. _Moon With Gold._ Hubert knew he ought to not read that, but he was tired of reading tirelessly over spells and antidotes useless to his situation. A part of him told him not to read the book, which was much lighter than what he was used to holding, but at the same time, weighed heavily upon him. His curiosity was overriding all senses. He could have also blamed it on desperation and a form of anxiety, but it was, however, mostly the worst kinds of curiosity setting afoot. This same curiosity was what ignited a small rebellion of the female sort. What was it about these books that made these girls defy the church? And Bernadetta was the instigator. Now his curiosity was impossible to contain.

There wasn’t much written. It wasn’t even halfway written. It appeared to be scenes that were cut out and later put in for editing. Hubert didn’t partake in reading fiction, but he was just as curious as Dorothea and read an excerpt. Only a small passage. 

_“Join us, Berenice,” Humphrey begged as he floated to her balcony. His green eyes were streaked gold by the moonlight. Berenice’s heart raced so fast she thought she would never be able to catch it._

_“I can’t,” she answered, sobbing, her hand over her forehead._

_“What’s stopping you?” he challenged._

_Even though he was floating above the air, Berenice was overwhelmed by how tall and dashing he was, his raven black hair mysteriously covering half his face. There was an air—no—an aura of mystery written all over him and she wanted to figure him out. But she knew that doing so would cost her her soul. “My soul,” Berenice stated dramatically._

_Humphrey took her small, delicate hands and brought them to his icy lips. Berenice shuddered. She told herself to resist the temptation of him. “Perhaps if you’ll allow me to have a taste. Just a small taste, and you can decide for yourself if you would like to join us.” Berenice saw the glint of his teeth, large and pointed and eager for her neck. She sighed and swooned, her gray eyes wide. She wanted it, but she was so scared for her life. And what would her father think? Her father would hit her, no! He would chase her! And blame her for surrendering her virtue to this tall, dashing, and scary man who tried to be nice to her._

_And then she’d be imprisoned within the confines of her chair for eternity._

_“If I join you,” Berenice asked, “would this be for eternity?”_

_“Longer, my dear,” Humphrey clarified. “You and I will join together in this murky darkness, forevermore.”_

_Berenice welcomed him into her arms, his kiss powerful and overwhelming. She surrendered into him as he lowered his teeth into her neck and drew—_

A knock on his door interrupted him from reading Bernadetta’s...interesting piece of written work and he placed it back where it was. On the other end of the door was Bernadetta herself. 

The girl who authored lines with characters that were reminiscent of themselves. He wondered if she was consciously doing this. She hadn’t appeared to, anyway. “Hey um...Hubert.”

“Is something the matter?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Can I stay here for a few hours?”

It was already late at night. And it wasn’t as if staff ever did their rounds. Although Hubert could often hear Sylvain sneaking about. “You may, although I was just about to wrap up.” He let her in. Hubert tried to look for the words. “I...was lucky enough to stumble upon an abridged book of magic. It’s certainly lighter reading most of my textbooks, but it could possibly aid you.”

“Oh! Let me see!” She grabbed the book. “Is this it?”

“It is. I will retire for the evening and leave you to it.” Hubert curled into Bernadetta’s bed as she moved her bear and sat in front of her desk. Hubert tried to not think of the book she was trying to write as he drifted to sleep.

It was still dark when he awoke. _It appears I’m still in this body._

Bernadetta had fallen asleep in her chair, her head on her desk. _Is this what I look like when I’m asleep?_ He looked younger and incredibly vulnerable. It looked most unlike the monster he knew he’d become. He would never become that romanticized version Bernadetta had used for inspiration. 

What Hubert couldn’t understand was _why him_ ? _Why_ wasn’t she writing about some noble knight in shining armor? _Why_ someone like _Hubert_? 

It should have been Ferdinand. He was rich, he was classically handsome, and polite (in his own way), and although annoying, possessed a sense of optimism that ought to have appealed to Bernadetta.

Yet at the thought of the book being based on Ferdinand, Hubert soured and he couldn’t understand _why_. He discarded those thoughts. Bernadetta would surely grow uncomfortable in her sleeping state, and she needed to go back to a proper bed.

“Bernadetta,” he gently shook her awake..

“Huh? Hubert? Oh. Sorry I kind of overstayed my welcome here.”

“It...This is your room, after all.”

“Can I take this with me?” 

“You may.” It wasn’t his book, anyway. “Goodnight.”

She was gone in an instant. Hubert only wondered how long he could take being in this body. It would soon be the Pegasus Moon and his ride would be waiting. There was no way Bernadetta would be let in on their secret. Three people were too many. But time was quickly running out and Hubert didn’t want things to boil down through hastily made alternative plans. 

Because those almost always failed. 

And he couldn’t afford to fail.

* * *

This book was much easier to grapple with than the other ones Hubert was used to dealing with. 

But there was nothing specifically written about body swapping. It was such a specific, arcane problem. And it was triggered by her tasting the stew, followed by Hubert. Bernadetta wondered if Seteth’s strict rules had a role to play and therefore was considered too dark, too strange for consumption. It would only make sense, right?

The book had an entry on a love potion, which was excessively complicated to make, yet required an essence of your would-be lover. This potion activated based on that. 

_If there’s a love potion here then why is still here? Wouldn’t Seteth try to get rid of that, too?_

Bernadetta skimmed towards its reversal. It required the person afflicted to drink the essence of the person they were made to fall in love with. _So if both of their essences were required and this potion activated by ours, maybe it could be our reversal?_

Bernadetta soon felt confusion from overthinking. She needed to talk this out with Hubert. 

She was back at her door again. “Hey! I know I’m back soon. I have a question for you!”

Hubert opened the door and let her in. “What is it?”

“Um…Okay I’m not an expert or anything in magic and stuff but I’m imagining maybe Seteth or the school threw away everything that had to do with this spell.”

“Like your books?”

“D-don’t remind me! But I was looking up other potions like love potions and stuff like that and their antidotes and stuff like that and...” Bernadetta was too nervous and with the way Hubert was watching her. Hubert, who knew way more about magic and formulas than she did.

“‘And’? Please do continue. Maybe a non-magic user can give an alternate solution to this matter.”

“I don’t know...Um, look at this.” She flipped the page over to the love potion. “Do you see how a person’s uh...belongings help?”

“Such as bodily fluids or other reagents pertaining to the body, yes. We already tried reversing the vial’s effects with a second taste test.”

“B-but that was with the vial’s ingredients. Oh no, this is going to sound stupid, but hear me out again.”

“I’m willing to try anything at this point.”

“What if we um, try something else? Like maybe a um…like a um...Gosh, this sounds s-so stupid.”

“Just say it, Bernadetta.”

“What if we were to k-kiss or something?”

Hubert was silent for about a minute, but not from shock. He was clearly thinking. “‘Kiss’...Hmm...While I may have never conducted this experiment, a mere kiss is meant to signify power, for it is riddled with the intent of a person. When you read your novels, Bernadetta, what does it mean when two people were to kiss?”

“They’re a resolution, right? Such as living happily ever after,” she looked away from Hubert’s sneer, “or they’re used to show two characters having feelings and it leads to um...other stuff.” _Wait, did he flat out admit he’s never been kissed either?_

“Think back to when you were helping me brew this potion. What were you feeling?”

“Honestly...I was feeling kind of bad for you.” She saw from the expression he wore that it wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “Um...you sounded kind of desperate and wanted to turn to me for help and um...I don’t want to be afraid of you. I really don’t. You’re not as imposing as other people and...I mean you try to be, but I didn’t see it, then.”

“I’ll...indulge in your idea. I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

“I’ve...never kissed anyone before.”

“It wouldn’t be me you’d be kissing.” His expression contorted into confusion. “Yes, but also no.”

“That’s weird! Don’t make it any weirder than it already is!” Bernadetta sat on the edge of her bed. Hubert was so much smaller, even in this angle. She would have to lower herself and bend down. She pecked Hubert’s, no, _her_ lips. 

Nothing happened. 

“It didn’t work,” she said. 

“Because the intent wasn’t there. Think of one of those books you have,” he said. “Try to imagine me as one of those heroes, as impossible as it is.”

Bernadetta thought of the brooding, undead hero she wrote of, named Humphrey, who was partially based on the hero of _Passion of the Solstice_. “Can you um...tell me to join you. In some way?”

“To join you?” He folded his hands on his lap.

“Um, yes. Like for eternity or something. Ah! This is so embarrassing.”

Hubert paused. “Then, yes. I’ll indulge you if it’ll work.” He took a deep breath. “Bernadetta...Next month, I’ll be embarking on something that will change the lives of not only you and me, but for everyone. I’ll do awful, depraved things the Goddess will never approve of but it’s a necessary evil and I must be the one who carries them out so that others won't stain their hands with blood. But I want you to stand by me, no, stand _besides_ me as my equal in all of this.” His hand found hers as he continued his monologue. “It's likely that you might not see me the same way ever again. But it would ease this weary heart of mine if you were to stand up and be with me throughout this.”

Bernadetta’s heart raced. _Wow. He’s surprisingly good at this._

“I don’t know...if I join you,” she said, echoing her heroine’s words, “would this be for eternity?”

“Much longer, dear Bernadetta.” His hands laced hers now. Her body moved closer to his. For a second, his gray eyes disappeared in a flash, being replaced by a green glint. “This would require both you and I joining together in the murky depths of darkness, forevermore.”

“I...Hubert…”

“Perhaps if I give you a little taste, you can decide for yourself whether to stand with me.”

Her heart beat faster and faster. "I want to trust you someday, Hubert...Maybe...maybe we can…" She lowered her head once more, thinking of her following Hubert down his path, whatever destiny was to unfold. It would likely be of him being Edelgard's personal vassal and bodyguard after they graduated but he did a phenomenal job of being dramatic. Perhaps that was all he was. Just very theatrical. 

"Bernadetta, please…" The voice, for a fraction of a second, sounded exactly like his. 

She kissed him again, properly this time. It was surprising to her that her own lips were so soft to the touch. She got closer to his body as he stroked her hair. 

Bernadetta melted into his touch and surrendered to him as the kiss deepened. However, she wasn't ready for his tongue, as clumsy as it was. He parted her lips and Bernadetta, in her cluelessness, accepted him. 

There was an air of finality to the kiss, a sadness that she couldn't place. It was something her hero, Humphrey, had lacked. 

Hubert broke away from her. 

When she opened her eyes, she was met with green ones staring back at her. He had a smirk written on his face as she held his gaze. Bernadetta was now utterly bewildered in the aftermath of this kiss. Now she had her body back and she was reeling from the fact that other than this whole bodyswap thing, that was a pretty good first kiss. 

"It's over," he said. Bernadetta could see through his tone that he was pretty happy that he was back in his body. 

Bernadetta hugged herself, unbelieving that her silly idea ended up being the antidote out of this crazy situation. "It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"Thank you, for resolving this, Bernadetta. You have my gratitude."

"Oh, um...yeah, it was no problem at all!" She realized her gaffe. "Well, I mean, it was a _huge_ problem but that's over now!" She was still processing the totally not passionate kiss she shared with him. 

"I ought to go," he said. "Edelgard must know that our situation has changed. 

Hubert got out of the bed. Bernadetta wanted to say something, anything. "Um... Hubert?'

He turned around. "Yes? What is it?"

"Um...i-if the opportunity um, came...if I had to choose…"

"Don't tell me just yet," he said, teasing. He left. 

Everything was now back to normal. Bernadetta was in her room, which was now clean. Hubert was kind enough to do that for her.

She grabbed her large bear, so grateful to have him back on her arms again as she thought about Hubert's tone. He was an amazingly good actor. So much so that it was giving her inspiration to modify Humphrey a little bit. She took out her leather notebook and a quill.

But his sadness...She didn't really know Hubert that well. She was afraid of him, but what if he was the one who was afraid? What if the relaxant he was trying to make was not for the Professor, but for him? 

Bernadetta opened her writing notebook again. 

_"You and I will join together in this murky darkness, forevermore.”_

She thought of Hubert's words. _“This would require both you and I joining together in the murky depths of darkness, forevermore.”_

She froze. _He totally read my work! Oh Goddess._ "Noooo!" 

* * *

Close to three months later, Hubert was caught up in the frenzy of the past few days and everything was starting to unwind...if only for the time being. Everything had gone better than according to plan, but then they suddenly didn’t.

Edelgard got the support of the Professor and their fellow Eagles, but at the cost of the Professor having gone missing. Ever since then, Edelgard had locked herself in her room. 

Hubert had debated on brewing her a relaxant, but after the events of what happened the last time, he decided it was best to wait it out.

The Black Eagle Strike Force had overtaken the monastery as their base and Hubert had settled in the audience chamber, specifically where Seteth usually conducted his affairs. Seteth, who played a role in restraining the school and creating strict rules for the students to follow. Hubert chuckled at the irony. 

The sky was darkening and it was time for him to take his leave. 

He found Bernadetta in the main chamber, admiring the statues. 

Already, she looked a little different. She stood a little taller, her hair brushed. She still wore her academy uniform. If things hadn’t gone the way everyone thought, if things remained normal, if he and Edelgard didn’t cause such a stir, they’d have been graduates by now. 

“I um, never got to be here much. Or at any time at all. Then again, there’s not much to see if you stay all day in your room right?” She was out a lot now that her father was under house arrest. 

“Is something the matter?” The sky above them darkened, leaving the chandeliers of this room into an eerie light.

“I’ve been thinking…”

“What about?”

“I know you read my story, and I was furious with you and the less we talk about that, the better. But you weren’t acting, were you? None of that was a lie.”

Hubert thought back to his final moments in Bernadetta’s body. She had fixed the problem he caused. Even though she doubted herself, she was a lot more discerning than she thought when it came towards processing information. “I did it to test the theory,” he said. It was partially a lie. While it was a theory, everything that ensured was sincere. And yet...

He couldn’t get into a relationship. Not now. Not when there was a war brewing. This was far from over and Edelgard needed the both of them. A relationship would only cloud their vision. Besides, Bernadetta could do much better than him.

“Oh. Because...I don’t know, you sounded...you were clearly holding it all in. And I can see why.” She didn’t need to guess the things he did to become the new Marquis Vestra. It was all out in the open. “But I’m here now. With you, in this empty chamber in this half broken down monastery.”

“Are you here to provide an answer to my question, then?”

“No. I think you already know,” she said. “I wanted to give you a question of my own.” After he had motioned for her to continue, she began once again. “I know things have changed, and boy, do I know that. I want to stand here with you, like you said...as your equal.” Her hand found his. Bernadetta really looked taller just now. “When all of this is done, will you just be the Hubert I know? Not the one you were afraid of succumbing to when you entrusted me to help you make that potion, but the one I know who is secretly nice and tries to accomodate to all my fears? I was in your body for a few days, but being there...I…”

“I’m afraid I do—”

“You don’t need to tell me just yet,” she said, running her thumb along the length of his hand. The gesture felt intimate. “I just wanted to ask you that. I should um...go. I’m on cooking duty tonight. Um...see ya!” Hubert saw her leave the chamber, now filled with a strange desire and even stranger thoughts harboring the depths of his mind.

Hubert wondered what she would taste like now that he was back in his own body. What the world would have in store for them when everything was said and done with. Would she allow a place for him to be? Would he have a taste of normalcy? Someday, he would find out.


End file.
